Best router money can buy?

[swbsam]

I have a cheapy ($70) Trendnet 802.11n Router and have been having some weird issues lately. I.P. clashes, router resetting, my cable modem resetting due to what I think is an IP issue (it doesn't reset when hooked up to my old netgear). It's just a mess.

I have 8 devices so I'm guessing it's just me overloading the cheapy. Any advice for a robust 802.11n router?

 

[JackMDS]

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2301484&enterthread=y

 

[Atty]

I'm between a Linksys 610n and D-Link DGL-4500, asked in another thread which would be the best. Both can be found for under $200 if you shop around.

 

[Brutus04]

Are you using a switch w/those eight devices? I have a Netgear G that has been on steadily for the past four years....just updated the firmware and its doing great. Sounds like you have one big collision domain.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: Brutus04
Are you using a switch w/those eight devices? I have a Netgear G that has been on steadily for the past four years....just updated the firmware and its doing great. Sounds like you have one big collision domain.

I'm not exactly sure what a switch is - I'm just using the router. I googled "collision domain" and it sounds like what I'm experiencing.

Here's the setup:

Trendnet 802.11n Router

Moxi (Tivo knock off dvr/dnlp server) - ethernet
Xbox 360 - Ethernet
PS3 - Wifi
Media Center PC/Server - 802.11n
iMac - 802.11n
Macbook Pro - 802.11n
Macbook - 802.11n (I think?)
iMac - 802.11n
msi wind

Shoot, that's 9 devices... it definitely seems like the problem occurs in a 'straw that breaks the camels back' scenario (everything work fine until I turn on say my netbook to check email)

 

[Absolution75]

Originally posted by: iAtticus
I'm between a Linksys 610n and D-Link DGL-4500, asked in another thread which would be the best. Both can be found for under $200 if you shop around.

I've got 2 D-Link DGL-4300's and they are great. In my house, I've placed the router in the basement while getting full reception on the 2nd floor. Great range. Also have had probably 15+ people at a lan party one time running off the thing.

My only complaint is that it was initially prety spendy ($140 when I bought the first one, $100 when I bought the second) and that they don't update the firmware. The A01 router was initially much more stable than the A4 (though I think that can be attributed to a semi bad flash, it would restart quite often until I flashed it a couple times and did a hard factory reset - has been great ever since).
My friend just bought one too, seems like he likes it.

I can't imagine that the 4500 would be any worse.

 

[drebo]

Originally posted by: Brutus04
Are you using a switch w/those eight devices? I have a Netgear G that has been on steadily for the past four years....just updated the firmware and its doing great. Sounds like you have one big collision domain.

Uhm, not so much. A switch, by nature of being a switch, has each port as a separate collision domain. And 8 devices is hardly large for a broadcast domain.

What's more likely happening is a layer 8 configuration error.

 

[0roo0roo]

smallnetbuilder
look at benchies

 

[RadiclDreamer]

Originally posted by: drebo

Originally posted by: Brutus04
Are you using a switch w/those eight devices? I have a Netgear G that has been on steadily for the past four years....just updated the firmware and its doing great. Sounds like you have one big collision domain.

What's more likely happening is a layer 8 configuration error.

*Snicker*

 

[Tarrant64]

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer

Originally posted by: drebo

Originally posted by: Brutus04
Are you using a switch w/those eight devices? I have a Netgear G that has been on steadily for the past four years....just updated the firmware and its doing great. Sounds like you have one big collision domain.

What's more likely happening is a layer 8 configuration error.

*Snicker*

Nice.

 

[Brutus04]

Sorry about the switch thingy...802.11n is a wireless standard. Darrrr

 

[kevnich2]

Originally posted by: Brutus04
Sorry about the switch thingy...802.11n is a wireless standard. Darrrr

No it's not. There is Pre or Draft 802.11n but 802.11n is NOT a standard yet, who knows when it will be. 802.11n is basically still in test/beta phase right now.

 

[ccbadd]

I would recommend getting an Alix board and running pfsense on it. It will be just a router, with no wifi, but will do it better than any consumer router you can buy. Then just use you current wifi router as an access point. You can add wireless to it, but only 802.11G right now, but I prefer separating them. Right now I am parring Alix 2d3's with Netgear WNDR3300's with very good results. Here are some links:

http://www.pcengines.ch/alix2d3.htm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833122273

Alix board offers a much longer upgrade cycle while the Netgear gives you dual band dual radio for a lot of flexibility (A,B,G,Pre-N 2.4ghtz, Pre-N 5 ghtz). Also, try to run cat5e to as many of those devices as possible for the absolute best performance.

 

[kevnich2]

Originally posted by: ccbadd
I would recommend getting an Alix board and running pfsense on it. It will be just a router, with no wifi, but will do it better than any consumer router you can buy. Then just use you current wifi router as an access point. You can add wireless to it, but only 802.11G right now, but I prefer separating them. Right now I am parring Alix 2d3's with Netgear WNDR3300's with very good results. Here are some links:

http://www.pcengines.ch/alix2d3.htm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833122273

Alix board offers a much longer upgrade cycle while the Netgear gives you dual band dual radio for a lot of flexibility (A,B,G,Pre-N 2.4ghtz, Pre-N 5 ghtz). Also, try to run cat5e to as many of those devices as possible for the absolute best performance.

Yeah but do you realize the power consumption from something like this compared to a regular SOHO router when in reality, that is all the OP needs? Why spend the extra money every month when it's not necessary?

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
smallnetbuilder
look at benchies

My experience is that Tim's benchies works for him.

When it comes to Entry level/SOHO Wireless Hardware, I rarely gets his high results.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: ccbadd
I would recommend getting an Alix board and running pfsense on it. It will be just a router, with no wifi, but will do it better than any consumer router you can buy. Then just use you current wifi router as an access point. You can add wireless to it, but only 802.11G right now, but I prefer separating them. Right now I am parring Alix 2d3's with Netgear WNDR3300's with very good results. Here are some links:

http://www.pcengines.ch/alix2d3.htm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833122273

Alix board offers a much longer upgrade cycle while the Netgear gives you dual band dual radio for a lot of flexibility (A,B,G,Pre-N 2.4ghtz, Pre-N 5 ghtz). Also, try to run cat5e to as many of those devices as possible for the absolute best performance.

Or just pick up an old pc for free and use that with pfsense and a switch.
My p3-600 with 256Mb ram and a 4GB compact flash card works better and with more features than most routers under $500

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: kevnich2

Yeah but do you realize the power consumption from something like this compared to a regular SOHO router when in reality, that is all the OP needs? Why spend the extra money every month when it's not necessary?

It isn't as much as people think.
The pc I use has a supply that has a max output of 85 watts.
I replaced the hard drive with compact flash.
The power supply also powers my modem, voip adapter, and switch, so I got rid of all those adapters.
It provides features and routing that most routers can't touch.

 

[drebo]

85 watts is a LOT compared to a discrete router. At best, it's on the order of ten times as much power draw. At worst, it could be as much as 20 times the power draw. A PIX 501, for instance, has a max of ~12 watts, and could likely run circles around your P3.

ASICs will always be faster and more efficient than a general purpose processor. Always. The extra $10/mo off my electricity bill is more than enough to assuage the lack of 1337 feeling I'd get from running a software router.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: drebo
85 watts is a LOT compared to a discrete router. At best, it's on the order of ten times as much power draw. At worst, it could be as much as 20 times the power draw. A PIX 501, for instance, has a max of ~12 watts, and could likely run circles around your P3.

ASICs will always be faster and more efficient than a general purpose processor. Always. The extra $10/mo off my electricity bill is more than enough to assuage the lack of 1337 feeling I'd get from running a software router.

With the pc, the switch, the modem, and the voip adapter it uses 53 watts.
$10/mo ? damn , someone needs to complain about those rates, here it is $3.80 for what I run for a month. Still if power is a concern, mini atx boards are available that use 10 watts.


It isn't about being 1337. It is about being able to do anything you want with the network and not have to reboot a router, or fight with a device that can't keep up.
I like not having to worry if I want to throw 1000 states on the system, I know it will perform just as well as 1 state. I can put my voip on it and it is perfect every call regardless of what I am transferring.

Read how well BSD did against the pix.
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/..._firewalls.html?page=2

The part about graphing is not true now. It has all the graphing anyone could ever want.
Some graphs from my setup
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9468/pfsense.jpg

Even when handling 600+ torrent connections it doesn't use 30% of the cpu power.
That is with squid and snort running also.
Sure there are better routers out there but nothing near this good for the cost.

 

[spidey07]

LOL at using a 506e as a comparison. That is flat out hilarious.

But in all seriousness in the SOHO world a 3-5 year old PC will trounce a SOHO "router".

 

[ccbadd]

Originally posted by: kevnich2

Originally posted by: ccbadd
I would recommend getting an Alix board and running pfsense on it. It will be just a router, with no wifi, but will do it better than any consumer router you can buy. Then just use you current wifi router as an access point. You can add wireless to it, but only 802.11G right now, but I prefer separating them. Right now I am parring Alix 2d3's with Netgear WNDR3300's with very good results. Here are some links:

http://www.pcengines.ch/alix2d3.htm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833122273

Alix board offers a much longer upgrade cycle while the Netgear gives you dual band dual radio for a lot of flexibility (A,B,G,Pre-N 2.4ghtz, Pre-N 5 ghtz). Also, try to run cat5e to as many of those devices as possible for the absolute best performance.

Yeah but do you realize the power consumption from something like this compared to a regular SOHO router when in reality, that is all the OP needs? Why spend the extra money every month when it's not necessary?

The Alix is a low power embedded platform and uses about as much electricity as the Netgear which also uses very little power.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: ccbadd

The Alix is a low power embedded platform and uses about as much electricity as the Netgear which also uses very little power.

Who freaking cares? If you honestly have to worry about power consumption of such a simple device, something is wrong with you. Yes, I said it, something is wrong with you.

 

[Modelworks]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: ccbadd

The Alix is a low power embedded platform and uses about as much electricity as the Netgear which also uses very little power.

Who freaking cares? If you honestly have to worry about power consumption of such a simple device, something is wrong with you. Yes, I said it, something is wrong with you.

The media is partly to blame.
All the advertising that if you unplug your cell phone charger from the wall when not using it you can save the world ! While those same homes have poor insulation, air leaks on doors and windows.